It didn’t take long to realize that Jaclyn Smith has little in common with Felice Hamilton, the high-society fusspot she plays in Bridal Wave.
“She’s snobbish and a little controlling and superficial, and very possessive of her [marriage-bound] son,” says the actor best known as Kelly Garrett in the hit 1970s TV series Charlie’s Angels.
“I’ve played killers — I’ve played them all — but never a character like this,” laughs Smith, whose co-stars in the Hallmark Channel romance include David Haydn-Jones as her son, Arielle Kebbel as his fiancée and Andrew W. Walker as an architect who unwittingly complicates matters.
“It’s kind of fun because there’s some humour to it, and a kind of softening by the end.”
Four decades after being cast opposite Kate Jackson and Farrah Fawcett in the hit series that spawned movies and remakes, Smith, 69, remains a picture of loveliness.
Warm and gracious, the actor, whose name has often appeared on Most Beautiful People in the World lists, looks chic in a dusty lavender dress and pink high heels, her high cheekbones accenting her smooth, glowing skin befitting the face of Jaclyn Smith Beauty, her range of skincare products.
The Houston native’s Texas twang is intermittently obvious as she explains why she finds herself in Victoria between takes of a wedding party scene being filmed at Westin Bear Mountain.
“It’s such a sweet script,” says Smith, who is married to medical researcher and heart surgeon Dr. Brad Allen, and has two grownup children, Gaston Anthony and Spencer Margaret.
“You know why I like this? Because we need more relief today and this is a sweet story with an amazing cast. And it has heart. I love that. I think we need more of that today, don’t you?”
Admitting she can be a bit of a “stick-in-the-mud homebody,” the Los Angeles-based actor says her family is so close-knit she only ventures out to do screen projects that speak to her these days.
“I’ve turned down quite a few things,” says the former dancer who began her career guest-starring in classic TV shows including The Partridge Family, McCloud and The Love Boat.
Her credits include a role in The Users (1978) with Dean Martin, her Golden Globe-nominated portrayal of the title role in Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy, the title role in Florence Nightingale, a cameo in Charlie’s Angels: Full Throttle (2003), playing D.A. Vanessa Cavanaugh in the CBS police drama The District and guest appearances on CSI and Law and Order: SVU.
One of her favourite roles was playing Kennedy, Smith recalls.
“I admired her so much and I thought she had so many rare qualities,” Smith says. “If you compare her to First Ladies today, it’s night and day. There was a mystery about her, and yet she was so refined and educated. But most of all she was an incredible mother and I love that.”
After filming at Oak Bay Beach Hotel and Bear Mountain, Smith says she feels “very much at home” being back on a movie set and in Victoria.
“You have no traffic here,” she declares with a laugh. “I feel like I’m in these very idyllic, peaceful surroundings. It feels so unhurried. I like that.”
She was surprised to learn she’s not the first former Charlie’s Angel to shoot here. Cheryl Ladd, who lives in Texas, filmed a music video, Cold as Ice, in 1981 at Craigdarroch Castle. Smith laughs when told her former co-star danced down the castle’s staircase wearing leather lingerie.
“I’m sure they loved that,” she says, smiling. “That’s so perfect for Cheryl. They loved her on Charlie’s too. Those [Farrah Fawcett’s] were some sort of impossible shoes to fill but she did it beautifully.” Smith remains close with Ladd, visiting her in Texas when Smith flies home to see her brother. “I love Cheryl. She’s such a good girl,” Smith says.
Smith is also vaguely aware of Behind the Camera: The Unauthorized Story of Charlie’s Angels, but didn’t realize the TV movie was filmed here. “I didn’t see it,” she confides. “Some of those things are hard to watch because it’s not really you up there.”
The former Breck girl whose brands have included her signature Jaclyn Smith’s California scent for Max Factor, her own collections of women’s apparel, accessories and a home decor line for Kmart, and her Style hair fashions collection is passionate about her line of protective skincare products developed with her husband.
“He’s the brains behind it,” Smith says. “He analyzed what I was using and enhanced it and brought in all the cutting-edge stuff that’s really good for your skin.”
A breast cancer survivor, Smith’s other huge passion is informing women about risk factors and preventive measures.
“Women, please get your mammograms and do it every year,” she says. “If Obama says every two years, no, because if I had waited two years I would have had a different prognosis.”